Billie Eilish has dealt with her fair share of bodyshamers and negative commentary about her body.
The 19-year-old has overcome a lot of the negativity, but at the end of the day she is human and words do hurt.
The “OverHeated” singer recently opened up the The Guardian about how she has to “disassociate” with ideas she has of her body.
“When I’m on stage, I have to disassociate from the ideas I have of my body,” Billie said. “Especially because I wear clothes that are bigger and easier to move in without showing everything – they can be really unflattering.”
View this post on Instagram
She continued, “Because I have such a terrible relationship with my body, like you would not believe, so I just have to disassociate… Then you get a paparazzi picture taken when you were running to the door and had just put anything on, and didn’t know the picture’s being taken, and you just look how you look, and everyone’s like, ‘Fat!’”
Billie has been very candid about her reason for wearing baggy clothing.
She covered up so no one could have an opinion about her body. If no one could see what her body looked like, they wouldn’t have anything bad to say.
However, when she has posted bikini photos or been photographed by the paparazzi in a tank top EVERYONE gets up in arms.
In May 2020, Billie debuted a short film titled, “Not My Responsibility.”
The video starts off with Billie asking a series of questions about how the public perceives her, starting with QUOTE, “Do you know me? Would you like me to be smaller? Weaker? Softer? Taller? Would you like me to be quiet? Do my shoulders provoke you?”
Billie continued her statement saying, “We make assumptions about people based on their size. We decide who they are. We decide what they’re worth.”
“If I wear more, if I wear less — who decides what that makes me? What that means? Is my value based only on your perception? Or is your opinion of me not my responsibility?” she adds.
Then in October of the same year, people took aim at here after a picture of her running errands in a nude tank top of sweat shorts surfaced online.
One user posted the paparazzi photo of Billie in this outfit captioned it, “In 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body.”
in 10 months Billie Eilish has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body. pic.twitter.com/pMRFdZZ7mE
— GamesNosh (@GamesNosh) October 13, 2020
Another critic decided to take things even further and talked about the dangers of obesity, writing, “Becoming overweight is also harmful and unhealthy. We can say it’s ok all we want but it’s not ok on the inside. We are at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, NAFLD and more. Hopefully this motivates her to change her diet and lifestyle.”
Billie recently responded to these hateful, judgmental comments in her song “OverHeated.”
She sings, “”All these other inanimate b****es / It’s none of my business / But don’t you get sick of / Posin’ for pictures with that plastic body? Man.”
Billie then goes on to sing, “And everybody said it was a letdown / I was only built like everybody else now / But I didn’t get a surgery to help out / ‘Cause I’m not about to redesign myself now, am I? / (Am I?) Am I?”
She then takes subtle aim at the press for their part in circulating the shame by singing, “Did you really think this is the right thing to do? / (Is it news? News to who?) / That I really looked just like the rest of you.”
View this post on Instagram
Billie also touched on this idea of “being plastic” and looking a certain way during her interview with The Guardian.
“Since I was a kid,” she says, “my dad and I have always talked about a certain type of person who’s so insecure, or hyperaware and self-conscious, that they never move in a weird way, or make a weird face, because they always want to look good. I’ve noticed that, and it makes me so sad. If you’re always standing a certain way, walking in a certain way, and always have your hair just so… It’s such a loss to always try to always look good. It’s such a loss of joy and freedom in your body.”
She discussed the theme of “OverHeated” explaining, “OverHeated applies to all the people who promote unattainable body standards. It’s completely fine to get work done – do this, do that, do what makes you feel happy. It’s just when you deny it and say, ‘Oh, I got this all on my own, and if you just tried harder, you could get it.’ That makes me literally furious. It is so bad for young women – and boys, too – to see that.”
